Fire In the Back of My Head
by Rose Evanescent
Summary: When Severus Snape meets Lily Evans on the lonely playground in their neighborhood, they become instant friends. But when the letters to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry arrive, will they let their differences keep them apart?
1. 1: Sweet Nothing

_You took my heart and you held it in your mouth_  
_And with a word all my love came rushing out_  
_And every whisper, it's the worst,_  
_Emptied out by a single word_  
_There is a hollow in me now_

_So I put my faith in something unknown_  
_I'm living on such sweet nothing_  
_But I'm tired of hope with nothing to hold_  
_I'm living on such sweet nothing_

_And it's hard to learn_  
_And it's hard to love_  
_When you're giving me such sweet nothing_  
_Sweet nothing, sweet nothing_  
_You're giving me such sweet nothing_

~ "**Sweet Nothing**," Florence Welch

Severus felt the icy dead grass cut into his cheek as his face was shoved into it, rubbed roughly into the dirt until he felt the hot wetness of blood. A heavily-booted foot slammed into his side and he doubled over like an accordion, making a pathetic wheezing sound as all the air shot from his lungs and his ribs crackled. He clutched his side until his knuckles turned white and he locked his eyes shut. If he played dead, they'd go away. He'd just have to die for a minute, that's all.

Grinning with a smile as sour as curdled milk, Boulder, the neighborhood bully stood over Sev, rubbing his gloved hands together. The villain's wiry toady, Willy, stood behind Boulder, his cap snug over his pointy ears. Merlin, Sev hated those two, always coming around to make him all black and blue.

"That's what ye get, freak!" Boulder growled, kicking Sev in his slight side again – Sev's dark eyes bulged in his sockets, and he coughed violently into the dirt, mixing red with the earth-brown. "No wonder ye like snakes s'much…you're so pale, ye probably live under rocks like 'em!"

"Yeah, Big-Nose!" Willy chortled. "Such an idiot – doesn't even know how to put the right clothes on!" Their laughter rose like thick smoke through the air, an awful cloud no one could see in the smoggy grey skies but Sev. Sev rolled on his other side and breathed as best he could.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" he whispered. Shocked silence followed his question – the two boys had never heard Severus Snape utter a word before. He'd just always been silently abused by them.

"What did ye say?" Boulder barked. Boulder's shiny black boot gleamed in front of Sev's face, but he didn't care.

"I said to bug off, Leopold," Boulder's real name made Sev beam inside. But not for too long.

Grasping Sev's jaw and forcing his face up, Boulder gestured for Willy to come closer. "Hit 'im, Will," he ordered. "I'll hold 'im for you. Tha's it, let 'im have it!"

Punches flew at Sev's face, precise and painful, cathing his cheekbone and his left eye. Soon Boulder took over with fists big as hams, and each blow felt like Sev was being slammed with a brick wall continuously. Boulder finally drew his hand back and gave the greatest punch Sev had ever admired from that familiar position; all he could see for a straight thirty seconds was whiteness, followed by the gradual return of color. Agony throbbed in the center of his face, and he felt the burning liquid mess of his cracked nose left. Now Sev, well-practiced, lolled his head back and made himself look defeated. Soon enough, Boulder dropped him, giving his scrawny knees one more kick for good measure.

"Pussy," the bully called back as he walked off. "Maybe your mum can clean ye up, eh?" Despite the stab of shame Sev felt, he did not react to Boulder's comment about his poor mother. No matter why, arguing with the bully was an immensely bad idea. Sev just laid there, watching them walk away behind the curtain of his greasy black hair, panting shallowly, rage curdling in his stomach. Bullies like these had been tormenting him since he was little because he was a good target – lanky frame, uncomely features, very pale skin, poor status, mismatched clothes, and non-existent friend count. Severus did not like to make friends much in the human world, for he had several animal companions, and that's all he needed.

Sev dragged himself upright, pulled his too-small coat tighter around his skeletal frame, took a deep breath, and started trudging to his terraced home, ignoring the pain in his ribs and broken nose and the freezing cold that clamped around him. He tried to get his mind off the discomfort by counting all the cracks in the sidewalk and dreaming of a nice warm house to come home to, one with heating and welcome arms and piping-hot apple cider and creamy fudge waiting for him by the fireplace.

As he limped up the steps to his home, he knew this could never be – His father would be home much later, full of alcohol and anger, and all Mum could do was stand there and take his yelling while Sev watched from the corner. Severus hated it there at his house on Spinner's End, but he surely could never go anywhere else. He knew, with several reinforcements of this from his violent father, that a boy like himself never went places.

Sometimes, Sev thought, I'd like to have a long silver sword, like the knights in fairytales. Then maybe none of these bullies would ever want to fight me.

Sev rang the doorbell and stood there, clutching his bruised ribs, waiting to enter into Hell again.

Lily Evans sat on the swing set seat, rocking her scrawny, stockinged legs back and forth and watching the clouds scud along above, colored a comforting grey, like the shade of soft fleece blankets. A breeze wrapped itself around her wrist loosely, but then released its grasp, a silk ribbon of air. She watched the wind drift to the corner of the playground where something moved beneath a bush. To her surprise, it was a sparrow that had fallen from a tree. Lily stood from the swing set, the rusty squeak of hinges groaning as she did. This little green-eyed Evans girl was from a stoic, serious family of wealth, but she held her unique personality like a precious gem inside of her, a jewel as vibrant and fiery as her copper-colored hair. Standing at 4'3 with long red hair, emerald eyes, a skinny, knobbly-kneed form, a noble air, and a slender, heart-shaped face, Lily was a fire-cracker, who, though spare of form and with kind features, had a mind sharp as a tack and a wild, open heart. When she was littler, not too long ago, a boy at school had called her friend a nasty name, and the next day the bully was found flat against the schoolyard ground, the little Evans girl straddling him while her fists played a beat on the bully's face.

Lily was most unlike her elder sister, Petunia, who played alone on the metal slide across the way. Tuney, with her blonde hair and horsey teeth, was a good person at heart, even if she was always jealous of Lily, how pretty she grew to be, how smart she was. Tuney scowled at Lily now. "Don't look at me like that, Lil," she griped. "If you want to play, come with me on the slide. Lil – what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just play on your own, Tuney, it's ok."

"But Lily!"

"Hush, Tuney, or when we get home, I'll tell Mum you ate all her sweets," Lily retorted; she smiled to herself once she saw the frightened reaction on her sister's face. "Good, I knew it was the sweets that would scare you."

Head bent, Lily ignored her pouting sibling and wandered over to the bush, bending over. Feebly flapping its good wing against the ground, a tiny brown sparrow tried to fly away but couldn't – fresh feline wounds and bites had warped its left wing, as if a bramble bush had grabbed the wing and wrung it about. Sinking to a kneel, Lily got her stockinged knees all covered in dirt, but she didn't care. Instead, she scooped the bird up in the cup of her hands and cradled it close, letting its warm blood seep onto her hands. Small breaths hiccupped from the creature, and as Lily was intent on watching the bird, Petunia had come up behind her.

"Lil!" the older sister gasped. "Is that a bird? Put it down this moment! You haven't even gotten your shots!"

"Hush up, Tuney…I think….I think he's dying." A black mask of feather surrounded the sparrow's eyes, suggesting it was a male.

"All the more reason to put him down! He's probably crawling with parasites!" Gripping her dress with whitened knuckles, Petunia squirmed. "That's so disgusting, Lil."

Irritated, Lily held the sparrow closer and whirled around to face Petunia. "If you were sick and on your death bed, Tuney, I'd come see you, even if you were covered with diseases. It's what friends do for the people they care about. It is an awful thing to die alone, I imagine, so I'll be good to everyone I see so it doesn't happen to them. Then I pray it won't happen to me either. Now hush. Please."

Petunia huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, but her quirky sister was too absorbed in the sparrow to care. She traced the bloody mess of the wing. Perhaps, Lily thought, if she could wish hard enough, with all of her heart, this little beastie would not die. Closing her eyes, Lily took a deep breath, and wished with every fiber of her being.

Underneath her fingers, Lily suddenly felt a strange movement. Still wishing, she opened her green eyes and saw the broken muscle mending and interweaving again. Veins reconnected, and the blood stopped spurting out. Delicate bird bones aligned themselves properly. Finally, fresh goose-pimpled skin spread out like water, and new brown feathers sprouted out of the new flesh. The sparrow, with this newly healed wing, stood up and perched on Lily's index finger lightly, cocking its tiny head and giving a curious chirp. Its mirthful beady eyes thanked her.

Petunia took in a great amount of breath, but Lily turned before she could scream.

"Tuney, don't you dare tell Mum!" Lily squealed. A cold sweat already beaded on her smooth forehead. "If you do I'll…I'll put you in the ground! I can heal a wing, I'm sure I can dig a hole or something." Lily meant it to be funny, but when she said it, she even scared herself.

Petunia narrowed her light blue eyes like chips of ice at her sister and pursed her thin lips in a most unsettling way, trembling like a leaf. Then, out of her mouth slipped one word in the most bitter tone imaginable:

"Freak."

Crouching, paralyzed, Lily watched Petunia storm off, all sixty, skinny pounds of her, and she felt something in her stomach drop like a stone. Iciness bit at her bones, some strange feeling of power and weakness all at once. A foreign energy lurked in her blood, separating her from Petunia and all the others. Lily began to feel the rift between freaks and people who called others that.

"You're different."

Surprised at the sound of a boy's voice, Lily spun around, and the sparrow flew off her hand into the sky. There stood a lanky boy of about her age with a thin face, a hooked and crooked nose, a mop of greasy black hair, and all mismatched clothes covered with a threadbare light-brown coat. Lily thought the angles and outlines of the bones underneath his clothes were intriguing, as if he were a living skeleton, but what she liked most were his eyes. The boy's eyes were so swarthy that she would like to enter them, which she imagined would be like going into a dark cave, cold and strange, but secure. Stable. Always there. Always.

Lily sputtered out, "What was that?"

"You're different than all the other girls and boys," the boy replied, looking down – The shadow of a smile crossed over his mouth without him actually smiling, but Lily assumed the boy didn't smile much anyways. "I – I mean you're different…in a good way. You're unique. The way you healed that bird, I mean."

Lily paled. "You saw it too?"

"Yes. I like to hang around here, and…you seem to come here a lot. But don't worry about the sparrow – I know what it's like to feel outcast just because you're a bit odd."

Such words shouldn't come from such a small boy's mouth, Lily thought. "What's your name?"

"Severus. Severus Snape. But I like to be called Sev."

She stood before Sev, three inches taller, and extended a proud hand, excited to meet a new friend. "I'm Lily Evans. I liked to be called Lily." She laughed at this and saw Sev's lips slide up, giving a little chuckle.

"Well, Lily," Sev said. "I hope we will always be best friends."

For years, Sev and Lily met every day afterschool on the playground to explore, to play and talk. They found company in each other, and they would practice their abilities together, using a twig as a wand, they stunned bugs, levitated leaves, and burst open rocks. It was wonderful, and they spent these days in a childhood haze with each other, dreamy and comforted. Lily found a companion for her adventures and obstacles, and Sev found in Lily someone who would listen to him when he had problems at home. She was a light for him, a beacon, pulling him to shore out of his black loneliness.

School days passed by without a second glance back at them. The school days were dull. They were sorted through with sighs and doodles in margins, holding of breath and taking punches. Afternoons were when they could escape from dull reality together, diving into a youthful bliss of wonder and connection. On one memorable occasion, Lily cried to Sev when she didn't get one single card on Valentine's Day, so the boy brought his mother's old copy of Tales of Beetle the Bard and read it to Lily, refraining from telling his sob story that he had never ever gotten a card on Valentine's himself, instead telling her how she and he were special like all the witches and wizards in the book. Sev told her all he knew about the wizarding world he heard about from his mother. And Lily listened to him and dried her tears, so he was happy.

Days, months, years passed. Lily grew, and so did Sev. But when Lily and Sev turned eleven, they both got the letters that they had longed and waited for all their lives, letters that would change everything forever.


	2. 2: Go

Hello fellow Sev/Lily lovers!

I hope you enjoy my story about the wonderful Gryffindor girl and her Slytherin friend! Please feel free to review and critique my writing. I could always use some help, and I also love new ideas for the next chapter! Thank you so much! Enjoy. :)

* * *

_I don't want to hurt you_  
_Do you ever listen?_  
_I don't want to run._  
_You're not the only one_  
_I don't want to touch you_  
_Eternally I'm broken_  
_Who but we become_  
_Who but we become_  
_How do you care?_  
_They need you_  
_I don't want to_

_Go, Go, Grow_

_I don't want to go_  
_I don't want to stay_  
_I don't want to stay_  
_I don't want to go_

"**Go**," The Civil Wars

"Severus! You come in here, boy!"

Sev dashed down the rickety stairs of his house, worn-out boots pounding on the wood. His father's yells had burst through his thin walls and driven him out of his small room. Sev just prayed to whatever was out there that he hadn't done something bad, or that his father didn't think he took too long coming downstairs. Nearly tripping off the bottom step, Sev ran into the kitchen and stood at attention before his father, a lanky beanpole of a boy before the adult version of himself.

Tobias Snape, with his patched-up coat and dirty shirt, looked down his hooked nose crossly at Sev from his chair at the dining room table; his son noticed he reeked of alcohol, as if he had poured the stuff all over his clothes instead of drinking it. "What is this?" his father asked, holding up an envelope. Sev was very confused, and he furrowed his dark brows.

"I don't know, Father."

"Oh, but you must know," Tobias slurred, reading the back of the envelope. "It says here this is addressed to Severus Snape of Spinner's End. It's from some place called Hogwarts."

Sev's heart almost skipped a beat with elation. "Really, Father?" He tried to suppress his emotions, but he couldn't help but smile. Tobias saw the smile and slapped Sev…lighter than usual, but just hard enough to stop his smiling. Sev held his cheek and kept his mouth a straight line.

"Don't you make fun of me, boy!" his father growled. "You got a letter inviting you to a school of witchcraft and wizardry! Do you know what I think of that?" Tobias's eyes were black as midnight, and spit flew from his mouth. Before Sev could say another word, his father had ripped the letter into pieces. A cry escaped Sev's throat as he threw himself at his father's feet, trying to collect all the torn pieces. Tobias stood to his feet and grabbed Sev by his collar and picked him up roughly, like a scrawny black puppy.

"You evil child!" Tobias yelled, shaking Sev back and forth violently. "I thought out of all the things in the world I might have a normal son! But no! I had to have this bastard! This little shit that thinks himself above all of us because he gets to go to some damned demon school!" His father threw Sev to the ground where he felt the air go out of his lungs again. Sev observed most of his life he spent breathless on the ground.

Tobias reached back, and Sev heard the familiar clink of a bronze clasp as his father grabbed his usual weapon. Suddenly whimpering in fear, Sev tried to scramble across the floor, away from that pain, but the foot brought down hard in the middle of his back stopped him. In a mad flurry of ripping hands, Tobias tore Sev's shirt off and tossed Sev's torso face-down on the table. Faint light from the window illuminated Sev's long, pale back stretched out on the table, the expanse of skin lightened with a few faint white scars from the last attack from his father. Tobias curled his thick harsh fingers into Snape's knotted black hair and forced his head down onto the table. Sev was able to turn his head to the left so he could breath, and with every breath he let out a plea for mercy.

"I'm doing you a favor, Severus," Tobias barked, "I'm whipping the Devil out of you."

Without further delay, his father brought down his heavy leather belt on Sev's bony back, connecting with a crack on the flesh. Sev had never experienced such pain before as this beating. Tobias was in a frenzy, never halting his horrid volley of blows that rained on Sev's back like fire, again and again and again. Screaming in agony, Sev gritted his teeth together, tears streaming down his face, until Tobias at last let up.

Then silence.

Sev heaved against the table, his back numb with so much pain, but he clearly felt the blood swarthing his back in wet crimson heat. He wanted to get off the table and crawl to his room, but there was no energy left in his bones. He could only lie there, panting, filling his lungs and then emptying them. No rage filled him, but only exhaustion.

Then Sev heard his father walk away. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet when Tobias returned, Sev's breath caught in his throat. His head spun with fear, and he knew if he just pretended hard enough, he could believe this was all a bad dream. When he heard the clink of bottles in his father's hands, Sev closed his eyes and pretended with all his heart.

Tobias raised the bottles and poured the two full bottles of warm beer onto Sev's torn-up back. Sev wailed, writhing in pain on the table, digging his face against the wood, which resulted in several splinters lodging into his cheek. To stop the screaming, Tobias whomped the back of Sev's head hard with a fist, resulting in the loss of color again. Sev just wished, wished with all his heart and soul, he was anywhere but there.

"Tobias!" a female voice cried out – Sev opened his eyes, and though they were blurry with pain and tears, he saw the gaunt figure of his mother standing in the doorframe. "Stop this! Stop it!" Dashing over to Sev, his mother covered Sev's back with her spare form and looked her husband in the eye, panting and crying.

Everything seemed to slow, and Tobias's large figure hunched over, coming down from his intoxicated high; the bottles fell from his hands and smashed on the floor. Frustrated, he pulled on his heavy coat and headed towards the door. "I'm going out, Eileen. Don't make any dinner. And clean up your scrap of a son." Slamming the door behind him, Tobias was gone, and Sev laid there limp on the table.

Eileen picked her son up gently in her arms and carried him into his room, careful to lay him on his stomach on the small cot he called a bed. She dabbed at his back to soak up all the blood, and she cleaned it the Muggle way. Once she was done, she said a spell to dull the pain; she was well-practiced in this spell, since Tobias's beatings were not uncommon in the house. It was already dark, so Eileen lit a candle in the room. By this time, she saw Sev was crying into his lumpy old pillow.

"What's wrong, little one?" she asked, stroking his black hair and combing the tangles out of it with her thin fingers. She wished her husband would not hurt her boy so badly…She wished she could get out of their house on Spinner's End, but there was nowhere to go with the little amount of money she made.

"I g-got a let-ter from…Hogw-w-warts, Mummy…"

Eileen's heart soared. "Oh, Sevy, that's wonderful, so wonderful!" She clapped her hands like an excited schoolgirl and smiled down at him broadly, full of pride and joy. "But why are you crying? There's nothing to cry about!"

"F-father…he tore up my letter!" Sev cried loudly now, barely keeping control of his racking sobs. But Eileen hushed him by looking over to the window in amazement.

"Sevy…look…"

Severus turned his head to see a great horned owl sitting on the windowsill, a letter in its beak. Eileen got up and took the letter from the owl, cracking open the red wax seal. She beamed, and tears jumped to her eyes.

"Look, little one! The headmaster sent you another letter! You're going to Hogwarts!"

"But Fa-father wouldn't let me go…"

His mother drew up his little stool next to Sev's bed and stroked the tears away from Sev's pale face with loving touches. "Severus…if you pack up your bags, I will take you. I want you to go to Hogwarts. I won't tell your father until you're gone. You will be happy there. You were never happy here, my little one. I don't want you to come home to beatings every day. I want you to go out to school with as much promise as I had."

Sev's smile lit up like a flame. "Thank you ever so much," he whispered. The joy that was expressed through his eyes was not comparable to the amazement he felt inside.

"Now go to sleep, Sevy…rest. Good night." Eileen blew out her candle and started towards the door.

"Mummy?"

Eileen turned. "What is it, dearest?"

"I love you, Mummy."

"I love you too, little one."

Lily was eating breakfast when her letter arrived. Halfway through her bacon, the family started when they heard a whump against the window. Mrs. Evans jumped in fright, exclaimed, "My word!"

Tuney, who was dressed for school in her new olive-green jumper and pants, rolled her eyes and took a drink of milk. "Probably just a stupid bird." Lily shot her a dirty look.

"Now, now, Petunia, you're upsetting Lily," Mr. Evans chided, wiping coffee from his carroty mustache. "Lily, dearest, would you go and see what that noise was all about?"

"Yes, Papa!" Lily said, hopping from her seat and dashing to her room, where the noise had come from. She looked all about, but could find nothing. Then, she saw the dazed pygmy owl that had flown through her open window and was flopping about on the floor. A letter it had brought lay a few feet away. Lily picked up the bird, stroking its soft feathers to calm it, and then sat it on the windowsill where it perched, fully recovered from its little spill. Then she snatched up the letter.

"Hogwarts," she whispered to herself. "_Hogwarts_!"

Elation filling her, Lily dashed downstairs. "Mum! Papa! I just got accepted to Hogwarts!" she squealed. Her parents, who had been schooled in Hogwarts by the teacher letters and Lily's own knowledge from Severus, jumped up from their spots at the table.

"Oh, congratulations, my love!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed, kissing Lily excitedly. "Oh what an honor!"

"My baby, a graduate of Hogwarts!" Mr. Evans grinned, scooping up Lily and whirling her around in the air. "I'm so proud!"

"What ever kind of daft name is Hogwarts?" Petunia muttered into her glass of milk, hardly enthusiastic.

For the next few days, Mr. and Mrs. Evans prepared Lily for her exciting new journey while Petunia stood in the corner, watching, the permanent sneer never leaving her jealous, pinched face.

That afternoon, Lily ran straight to the playground to meet her friend. Splashing through the puddles from the recent rain in her rubber galoshes, she ran across the place and found Sev rocking back and forth on the swing, a stoic, disembodied look on his face as he stared into the dreary distance. When he turned and saw Lily, with her curtain of flame-colored hair blowing in the wind, Sev's serious look dissolved and a smile filled his features, his black eyes crinkling at the corners; it was as if the sunlight had just streamed through a cloudy sky.

"Sev! Sev! I got into Hogwarts!" she squealed excitedly, pulling the envelope out of her coat pocket. Severus, so happy for her, jumped off the swing and ran over to hug her, embracing her tight and putting the pain out of her mind as Lily pulled tight the wounds on his healing back as she hugged her back.

"I got in too!" Sev exclaimed; nuzzling his face into her beautiful hair since they were so close. Merlin, it was heaven to be so near to Lily Evans.

As Lily jabbered on about how thrilled she was to go into Hogwarts, Sev let her sit on his swing seat and pushed her so she swung up and down in a hypnotic rhythm, her lovely hair swaying back and forth. Sev listened to her, but he still was looking around at Cokeworth, at the town he would leave so soon. Strangely, he knew he would miss the place. No, he thought, not all the town. Just the playground. He would miss just he and Lily being alone, exploring under the grey skies.

Sev breathed in the cold air and let it out. He was moving on, and with the only friend he'd had all his life. That was the best way to move on, he thought. With someone you loved by your side.

Sev got dressed in his threadbare coat, ratty pants, and dingy shoes, which he had tried hard to shine the night before. He packed the few clothes he had into his single suitcase, and put all the spell books and reading books in his brown duffel bag. He put his mother's copy of Tales of Beetle the Bard into the suitcase so he made sure he wouldn't lose it. Truly, it was his most prized possession. Eileen also gave Sev a bag of wizard money she had saved all her life so she could buy her way out of the place on Spinner's End. She knew she wouldn't use it on herself anymore, and gave it to Sev. One must make sacrifices, she thought, as she wept in her room later that day, not for the loss of money but for the loss of her precious child.

Lily got dressed in her best light-blue dress for the occasion, putting on her polished black Mary Janes and knee-high clean white socks. Mrs. Evans thought the occasion was so rare and wonderful that she gave Lily all the attention, fixing her hair and tying a pretty blue-and-white checkered bow into it. She helped Lily pack her bags – one for clothes, one for toiletries, and one for miscellaneous entertainment, including cards, books, and some of Lily's dolls that she never let go of since she was little. Lily's mother gave her a kiss and plenty of money to buy the best magical supplies before Lily left to the train station with her father, and Lily knew she would miss old Cokeworth.

At the train station, Lily met Sev past 9 ¾ with Mr. Evans, with his carroty mustache and coppery hair, hugged Lily tight; he had his usual wonderful cologne of basil and herbs on, and Lily loved that smell more than anything. She would miss her father and his reading of the morning paper, she would miss his little games, his fireside stories and outings for ice cream and shopping for dresses. Lily, watching her teary-eyed father kiss her head and then draw up to his incredible height, admired him more than ever. "I love you, my little Lil," he sniffled. "Be good, my best girl."

Sev stood before his mother, greasy black hair covered with a grey newsboy cap, smiling wide, pride swelling in his chest like the sea. His mother made sure he had all his bags, and then she kissed his forehead. Eileen's voice cracked, and she smiled through her tears. "Severus, I want you to be the best, most wonderful person you can be. And I never want you to come back to Spinner's End. Never come back to that ugly place. Live your life the way you want."

Sev hugged his mother tightly. Eileen knew that night she would return to her house on Spinner's End and take out the bottle of wine she'd been saving for some sort of celebration. She would drink the wine, and then wait for Tobias to come home. The alcohol flowing through her veins would dull the pain of the beating she would get when he realized Severus was gone off to Hogwarts.

The train blew a warning whistle, and Lily looked over at Sev expectantly. They gave their parents one last hug and kiss and then loaded their luggage onto the Hogwarts Express. Taking their seats on the train, they sat next to each other, not across from each other like so many other couples did. It was easier to talk that way.

Sev, who'd gotten the window seat, turned to the right and saw Lily with tears in her beautiful emerald eyes. "I'll miss Papa and Mum and Tuney," she said with a quivering voice. "I'll miss all my schoolmates too."

Sev took Lily's hand gently. "Lily, when we get to Hogwarts, you will have the most amazing time of your life, alright? You'll learn spells, you'll make new friends, and you'll go new places. Ever since I was little, my mother has never stopped talking about wizards and witches. There's got to be something wonderful in it all." Noticing Lily wasn't stopping her crying, he said in a whisper, "And I know only the special-est people go there. And you are the most special-est person I know."

With a farewell blow, the Hogwarts train pulled out of the station, leaving Eileen Snape and Mr. Evans back in the smoke, waving after their children, tears streaming down their faces, clothes fluttering from the wind.


	3. 3: Mr Brightside

_Cause I just can't look its killing me_  
_And taking control_

_Jealousy, turning saints into the sea_  
_Swimming through sick lullabies_  
_Choking on your alibis_

_But it's just the price I pay_  
_Destiny is calling me_  
_Open up my eager eyes_  
_'Cause I'm Mr Brightside_

"**Mr. Brightside**," The Killers

With a jolt, the train jumped as it bumped across a hard patch of track and Severus awoke, his dark eyes adjusting to the comfortable interior of the Hogwarts Express, the leather seats, the tasteful wooden paneling. Grinning to himself, he saw Lily in the seat across from him in their private compartment. The usually-fiery redhead was fast asleep against the window, tired from the fun she and Sev had eating all the candy she bought from the Honeyduke's trolley lady. Sev enjoyed the toothflossing stringmints, pepper imps, and ice mice as his favorite candies, so Lily generously bought him several boxes of each. She herself spent all the rest of her candy money on jelly slugs, sugared butterfly wings, and Fizzing Whizbees, which she found to be most delightful of all for when she ate them, she would levitate several feet above the ground. They spent hours eating their candy (Sev snacking, Lily gobbling) and playing about with the frost on the window until they crashed from their sugar high and fell into a deep, snoring sleep.

Now Sev tried his best not to wiggle in his too-tight clothes so as not to wake up Lily. He just wanted to stay there, watching her sleep so peacefully. A calm look was spread across her small, pretty face, and it appeared she was smiling, snuggled up against the wall like she was in bed with her own teddy bear. Sev thought she looked like an angel, all haloed in coppery hair…

A slam against the door alerted Sev, and he whipped his head towards the sound. Outside their compartment were a few boys messing around. One was chunky with squat shoulders and a low head, one was intelligent-looking, lithe with light-brown hair, and the other had doggedly good features and long black hair that fell around his face in a sort of mane.

But the last one Severus saw he remembered the most, and he even locked eyes with him for a moment. The last boy, with the mussed raven hair, quick hazel eyes, and a mischievous smile, took a look at Sev, smiling cockishly, like he owned the whole train.

Then the boy took a glance at Lily and his features softened into those of amazement and wonder, as if he'd seen the Sorcerer's Stone.

But soon as the boys came, they were gone.

Sev remained in his compartment, unsettled, with a slowly-waking Lily and a soon-to-arrive train. Severus had a bad feeling about that last boy, and the feeling would do nothing but grow.

Yawning like a little kitten, Lily caught Sev's attention as she awoke, languidly stretching her arms above her head. "Mm, hey," she slurred tiredly, chuckling. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing, Lily," Sev replied, plastering on a fake smile he would soon learn to master. He gazed out the train window, the grey-skied calm countryside reflected in his ink-black eyes. As Lily began to jabber on about if they were close to Hogwarts, shoving herself into the seat next to him, Sev began to feel his future brew on the horizon, bringing with it not only rain to slake his thirst, but also a tempest, with the chance to shake his world into bits.

Entering Hogwarts was the best feeling Sev had ever experienced in the entire world. With his one luggage bag clutched in his bony hand and Lily plodding ahead like an excited puppy, the young boy walked, mesmerized, down the hallways that were lit with torches in sconces. Everything glowed with a familiar light, like he'd been there before, as if perhaps this magical place was already branded somewhere deep in his heart.

"Sev, this is awesome!" Lily exclaimed, panting, her ginger hair flying about her face as she jumped around. "Can you believe it?"

"I can't," Sev murmured, eyes turned upward to the high ceiling. "I just can't believe it."

When all the incoming first years entered the Great Hall, a collective gasp went up from the crowd. Candles floated everywhere in the air, and the ceiling was bewitched to look like the night sky was showing through, with an enormous milky-white full moon and the gorgeous heavens. Severus shivered in awe, and while he was staring at the skies, Lily was transfixed with the massive, long tables laid out before them, covered with golden platters and goblets. She dragged him over to a table and plopped down next to him, practically beaming her face off.

An elbow shoved in Sev's back made him turn in fright. He locked eyes with the smirking hazel-eyed boy, who gave him a look before retreating to a separate table, surrounded by his pack of friends. Sev turned back to Lily, who was gazing after the boy. Her eyes soon found his again, his emerald safe-haven, and he was at peace.

"Welcome!" a booming voice came from the front of the hall, drawing all attention to it. The enormous crowd of students turned, and there at the head of the hall, at an owl podium, stood a bearded man of about fifty, gazing out from behind spectacles. He wore long, flowing silver robes and had a look of wisdom and authority about him.

"That's Albus Dumbledore," Sev whispered to Lily. "He's our headmaster."

Silence fell over the Great Hall as Dumbledore was ready to give his speech.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing to attend Hogwarts this year. It was a wise decision. You are all great wizards and bright witches with luminous futures ahead of you." Dumbledore beamed, smile pushing back the wrinkles on his face. "Now for my favorite part of the night – let's eat!"

To all the students' amazement, suddenly food appeared on the platters, drinks in all the goblets. Roasted pig, goose, turkey, duck, even a plate of deer meat materialized, all marinated in delicious brothy juices. Apple cider, tea, and iced pumpkin juice filled their cups. Lily and Sev noticed a variety of dishes strewn across the long table – Yorkshire pudding, stew, Cornish pasties, boiled tomatoes, fried tomatoes. There was a collective cheer from the student as the food arrived, and they filled their plates with the stuff, chattering amongst themselves as they did.

Sev shoveled as much of the treasure trove he had before him onto his massive plate. His house at Spinner's End had never seen as much food as this, and he dug into it faster than Lily, which surprised the young girl, as she was usually the quick eater.

"Oi, slow down, Sev – you're on your third plate already!" Lily exclaimed, laughing at her famished friend, who was loading more mashed potatoes with gravy onto his dish. "There'll probably be a dessert…don't stuff yourself for it!"

_Well there's not usually a dessert in Spinner's End, so I'd best be safe_, Sev though to himself, smiling at her through a creamy mouthful of potatoes. As soon as he said that, the food on the table disappeared, replaced with a magnificent dessert course of marvelous confections. Sev grabbed some strawberries while Lily munched on a chocolate éclair, getting the chocolate all over her face.

A clink of a knife on a glass could be heard.

"Now," boomed Dumbledore. "We shall sort all of you into your respective houses. I shall call each of you up to sit under the Sorting Hat."

As the Sorting Hat was set up, Lily leaned over to Snape and whispered "I hope I'm in your house, Sev."

Voicing his wish made his heart ache with anticipation. Sev answered, "I hope you're in my house too, Lily."

Many a student was called up and sorted into either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Since the list of names was alphabetized, Lily Evans went up first. Sev watched her all the while and noticed the hazel-eyed smirking boy watched her too.

"Ah let's see," the Hat said as it slid onto her head, enormous and imposing. "A bright little witch, are we? Very smart, yes. Ooh, and very brave! A bit rash and foolish at times, but good at heart…you'd do anything for someone you loved, eh, child?" Lily nodded eagerly, and the whole Hall laughed. "You're an easy one, girl. _Gryffindor_!"

Everyone cheered, and Sev watched Lily march off to the table under the red and gold banner. There she came face-to-face with the hazel-eyed boy. They exchanged words Sev could not hear, and he wished with all his heart he could punch that boy and his pack in their snotty little noses.

"Severus Snape!" Dumbledore called after a few more students were sorted. Sev walked up the Great Hall, palms sweating, all eyes on him. This was his moment. He _needed_ to be with Lily.

The Sorting Hat lowered on his head, its brim covering practically half his vision. He kept thinking _Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor_.

"Ah, a determined one," the Hat said aloud. "Smart…knows a great many spells for a first year! Cunning. Quick. A guarded mind."

Then the Hat whispered to Sev quiet as a breath of wind, "My boy, you a prince. A devoted, dark one. You have quite a future ahead of you."

Without further ado, the Sorting Hat yelled across the Hall, "_Slytherin_!"

A cheer arose from the Slytherin table, and Sev walked to it as if in a dream. He saw Lily watching him and clapping, and he tried to ignore the taller figure of the hazel-eyed boy behind her. Sev's stomach had dropped like a stone.

But there at the Slytherin table awaited a girl. She wore the traditional Hogwarts outfit, but with some risqué changes – shortened Slytherin green-plaid skirt, streaks of sinister green and purple in her dark brown hair, piercings in her ears. Her black eyes glittered with mirth, and she cleaned the books off the seat next to her. She looked like a second year.

"Hey short stuff. C'mere."

Sev eyed the older girl with fear, but did as she asked, slowly sitting down next to her. She draped a slender arm around his shoulder, and Sev noticed she smelled strongly of smoke.

"Come on, kiddo. I don't bite."

Sev gulped and managed a small smile.

"That's it," she grinned, a venomous curling of the lips. "My name's Bellatrix Black. It'll be good to know me - trust me, Sevy."

"A-alright."

"Atta boy," she smiled, ruffling his jet-black hair. "I like you." Right then, the sorting of houses ended, and students filed to their dorms. Bellatrix nodded and lead him to his assigned room.

After the long trek down the Hogwarts halls, Bellatrix said goodbye to Sev at his door. "See you tomorrow, eh, small fry?"

"S-sure, Bellatrix."

"Good. Bye now." She walked down the hall away from him, hips switching back and forth as she went.

Sev shook off the odd Bellatrix's smoky smell and entered his dorm. The other Slytherin boys were still out playing around in the common room, which gave Sev some time to unpack his things and change into his pajamas.

He chose a top bunk bed near the window and, after shoving his luggage bag under the bed, climbed up onto the bed, smoothing down the woolen blanket. He laid his head against the pillow

Gazing out the window into the abyss of night, Sev felt happy. His stomach was full, he had a warm bed to sleep in, and he would be learning what he loved most – magic.

And he would be doing it all with the one he loved most – Lily Evans.

Falling into a deep, dreamless sleep, Sev wondered if Lily was thinking of him as well on that calm and dark night in Hogwarts, in the place they would both now call home.


	4. 4: Inevitable

_Do you remember when we were just kids_  
_And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss_  
_Schoolyard conversations taken to heart_  
_And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not_

_I wanna break every clock_  
_The hands of time could never move again_  
_We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)_  
_For the rest of our lives_  
_Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now_

_I wanna be your last, first kiss_  
_That you'll ever have_  
_I wanna be your last, first kiss_

~ "**Inevitable**," by Anberlin

Slytherin knapsack slung across his back, Snape walked to his home down Spinner's End for summer break.

Sev's first year at Hogwarts turned out to be a great success for the young Slytherin student. He proved he was up to snuff by already knowing more than half the spells in the Dark Arts book, and his silence and scholarly attitude allowed him to absorb information quickly. His wealth of knowledge attracted his Slytherin crew of Avery, Mulciber, Evan, and Wilkes. Bellatrix quickly crowned herself as their informal ringleader, being the eldest and a regular queen bee in any situation. Having Lily in a different house wasn't so difficult after all…even if Sev still did miss her.

Standing at the door of his house stood Sev's mother, who beamed at him happily – her eyes couldn't help from watering as he ran towards her. Eileen embraced her small son in her arms and squeezed him tight to her.

"How was Hogwarts, little one?" she smiled, brushing a scrap of ink-black hair out of his face. "My, you've grown! And a full-blown smile! I like to see that on your face!"

"School's amazing, Mother!" Sev beamed as he dashed into the house, tossing his knapsack on the armchair in the living room. "I made so many new friends and the classes are really fun!" He didn't say it, but Sev felt a wave of relief wash over him when he found his father wasn't home and he could speak freely.

"That's wonderful to hear," Eileen smiled, wrapping a dingy, once-white apron around her waist. "How about some dinner?"

This was new in the Snape household – they'd never really had a full, sit-down dinner before. Sev smiled broadly anyways. "Yes please, Mother!" he chirped, plunking into his chair at the table.

Taking the ingredients from the pantry and arraying them onto her cutting board, Eileen began to prepare supper. "You'll be glad to know I got a job of my own, Sevy," she announced as she chopped along. "It's a desk job at an office. Nothing fancy, but good enough to bring in some nice money." She failed to mention Sev's father as she jabbered along. Soon Severus' curiosity soon got the best of him.

"Where's Father?" he asked.

Eileen faltered a moment in her cutting and took a moment to straighten herself out. She pulled the blouse sleeve farther down her skinny arm to cover the ugly, deep-purple bruise that coated the inside of her elbow. "He's been working overtime lately, Severus. He's also been going out after work a lot more as well. So he won't be joining us for dinner tonight."

Continuing her work, Eileen conveniently failed to mention that Tobias wouldn't want to be joining them for any dinner at all this summer. Once he had learned of the summer return of his runaway wizard son, he'd nearly knocked the stuffing out of Eileen. In his rage, Tobias had warned his battered wife that if he saw Severus any day that summer, his son would take a nice tumble down the basement stairs. Eileen remembered nodding, her tear-stained face held against the wall as she was forced to listen to Tobias' screaming demands.

After a nice, filling dinner of juicy roast beef slathered with gravy, a baked potato and peas and carrots, Severus was sent to bed by his mother and promised a day at the park tomorrow.

Eileen waited outside her son's dark room until the slow breathing of his sleep could be heard. Gently, she shut the door and locked it with a little bronze key she kept in her apron pocket. She proceeded into the kitchen to fix a late supper for her husband.

An hour later, Tobias' shadowy frame filled the doorway of their house on Spinner's End and Eileen shied away to their bedroom, leaving his dinner steaming on the kitchen table, an offering to the monster that ruled over her house. She sat on the bed and waited for him, trembling. Eileen swore to herself that she would protect her son all summer and never let him get hurt.

* * *

_ Ding dong._

Lily looked up suddenly as the doorbell rang. She and Petunia were in the middle of playing dress-up with their dolls, not expecting any sort of call since Mr. Evans and Mrs. Evans were out at work. Tuney jumped up at once.

"I'll get it," she chirped, flouncing out of the living room and out of sight. Shrugging, Lily brushed a long strand of carroty hair out of her face and pulled a checkered-blue-and-white dress onto her doll. Gingerly, she stroked her toy's jet-black curls and gazed at the doll's painted-green eyes that were almost the exact color of Lily's.

Ivy had been Lily's favorite doll, and now she seemed more important than ever to the young Gryffindor. That obsidian hair fascinated her…

"Lily's not home at the moment," Petunia's cold voice came from down the hall. "Sorry."

Puzzled, Lily got up, smoothed down her jeans, and headed for the door.

"Well, even if she was here, she probably wouldn't want to see _you_," Tuney went on. "No, I won't take a message."

"Tuney? What's going on?"

There in the doorway stood a greasy-haired but bright-eyed Severus Snape. Sev's shoulders were thrown back, like those of a military man, and though he was but a few inches shorter than Lily, he look like a tiny toy soldier.

"Oh…hello Lily," he stuttered, faltering a bit at the sight of her. "Nice to see…you're _in_!"

Lily smiled. Petunia snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I was wondering if you two – um – would like to come to the lake with me this weekend? Mother is going to bake some tarts for us as well."

"Sorry, we can't," Petunia snapped back. "We're _busy_."

"Tuney, we are not busy," Lily sighed – she turned to Sev and beamed. "Of course we'd love to go with you and your mum to the lake this weekend. Maybe we can catch up on the year there, eh?"

"Ugh. _Weirdos_," Petunia groaned, retiring back to her dolls. Once she was gone, Lily giggled.

"Sorry she's such a prude, Sev. She means no offense."

Severus puffed his chest out and smiled. "None taken."

"I'm glad you asked to hang out. You've been on my mind lately."

Snape's eyes widened. "I – I _have_?"

"Yes." Clasping her hands together, the little redhead grinned – he always made her smile, especially when he was nervous. "Well…see you on Saturday! I have a doll to attend to at the moment."

"Certainly, Lily. See you then!"

"Goodbye, Sev."

"Goodbye, Lily!"

As the Evans' red door closed, Snape took a few steps off the porch before punching the air, hissing silently with success. His strides quickened and he felt like dancing. Sev could barely wait until Saturday.

* * *

Saturday morning, Eileen and Severus arrived at the Evans' house, each proudly holding a tray of Eileen's homemade Bakewell tarts. Both of Lily's parents were off of work, so they greeted Eileen warmly and packed everyone into their station wagon, taking off to the lake. Severus noticed Lily looked very pretty in her blue patterned dress with blue belt, and the redhead blushed and looked away when she noticed him staring.

After much bickering from Petunia about who would occupy that detested middle seat in the back of the vehicle, Severus volunteered to take the spot, riding between them all the way there. Though Sev did not voice his opinion, he felt like he was crammed between a princess and a toad.

Once at the lake, Lily jumped out of the van, grabbing her mother's sleeve. "Mummy, Mum! Can we go explore?"

Mrs. Evans stroked her daughter's head affectionately. "Of course, sweetheart! Just be careful and don't split up. Mrs. Snape, Daddy and I will set up the picnic. Be back in about half an hour!"

"Thanks! Come on, Sev!" Lily chirped, taking his hand. "Tuney! Hurry up!"

"I'm not going," answered Petunia. "I'm going to help Mummy and Daddy set up. I like to do grown-up things instead of you two."

Lily shrugged. "Suit yourself. Let's go, Sev!"

Dashing down a dirt pathway by the side of the lake, Severus and Lily laughed and whooped beneath the canopy of dense green foliage. It took a dazed moment for Severus to realize Lily had grasped his hand and held it in hers as they ran. When he realized this, he gripped hers even tighter.

Panting, they arrived at the other side of the lake. Snape gasped for air, hands on his knees, but Lily looked refreshed and excited. "Look, Sev," Lily said, pointing out at the lake. "This is what I wanted to show you."

Rocks the size of tart trays strung out in a line across the water to a little scrap of land in the center of the lake. A huge willow tree occupied the center of the island, millions of dripping green-grey leaves swaying gently in the breeze.

"Beautiful," Severus gasped in awe.

"You really think so?" Lily grinned. "I think it is too! Now let me show you it!"

To his surprise, little Lily took off her polished shoes and hopped to the first rock on the lake – she continued onto the fifth stone, totally barefoot.

"A-are you sure you want to do this, Lily?" Sev asked, hesitantly. "You could fall and get your dress all soaked."

Lily put her hands on her hips and looked at him. "Severus, it's just a bit of _water_. Now do you want to see my island or not?"

Reluctantly, Severus took off his ratty shoes and peeled off his socks. He followed Lily across the trail of stones, teetering and sweating the whole time.

"That's more like it," Lily remarked as she turned to see Severus following her. "You've got to learn to be…well, to be less _Petunia_-like. She always wants to do _grown-up_ things and _serious_ things, and all of that doesn't make for too much fun, really. Tuney wants to be like everyone else. She doesn't want to spend time being a kid. It's so much more fun to be someone _different_." Lily smiled at him. "I like having a friend like you, Severus. You're different from all the rest."

Suddenly, Sev nearly lost his balance on the tenth stone. He yelped and threw out a hand as he fell towards the lake water –

A hand gripped his wrist, and he looked up into emerald eyes. "Got you, clumsy," Lily chuckled. "Don't worry – almost there!"

Bouncing across the last few rocks to the shore, she sat down and cheered Sev on. Clinging to his courage and pride, Snape quickly cleared the last few stones and stumbled onto solid ground.

"That was fun, huh Sevy?" Lily asked.

"If by _fun_ you mean making me want to kiss the earth – then _yes_."  
Lily laughed and led Sev into the small grove of trees on the island. They soon came upon the giant weeping willow, and there the little redhead parted the dripping curtain of leaves, letting them inside. Snape gasped at what he saw.

From the branches hung windchimes made of shells and lake driftwood. A little boat also sat there, one made of bark and sticks, string and glue. The trunk of the willow had a large hole in the base of it, a hollow, a nook big enough for a few adults to stand in.

"This is my secret hiding place," Lily explained proudly, untangling a shell chime to make it tinkle properly again. "I've built it up since I was six. Whenever I feel sad or lonely, I go here to escape."

"It's _incredible_. What do you call this island?"

"Well actually, that's why I called you here today, Sev. You've good at that smart stuff, so you can help me give it a name! Besides, you're the first person I've ever brought here…I haven't even showed Tuney!"

Severus felt a twitch of pride in his little smile. "Well I'll name it in a little while once I get to know about it. How was your year, Lily?"

"Good, very good!" She settled down in the hollow of the willow tree and motioned for Sev to join her. "I made a lot of friends with the Gryffindor girls, and Professor Slughorn took notice of me. He said I have good promise. How was your first year? I bet it was amazing!"

Quietly, Sev settled in the hole of the tree next to Lily. "Many of the professors say I know more spells than a seventh-year. I made some Slytherin friends– Avery and Mulciber. They're very funny. I also am friends with Bellatrix -"

"Bellatrix _Lestrange_?" Lily exclaimed. "The girl who flooded the girls' bathroom?"

"She's not all _that_ bad," Sev snorted. He always had to defend Bellatrix for her actions.

"I didn't say she was bad. She's just…_unique_, you know. I can see she's very driven, if sometimes for the wrong reasons. But very intelligent and resourceful."

Sev turned and cocked a grin. "You're right…she can be bad sometimes. But I'm glad you can see the good in people, Lily."

The little Gryffindor brushed her fingers against the wood inside the hollow, the walls painted with berry juice and ground bark in colorful patterns and swirls. "There's always good in even the darkest person."

Silence reigned for a moment where they sat, staring at the walls close around them. Then Severus spoke.

"So did you meet any boys this year?"

At this, Lily laughed. "Not really…but there is this one boy in Gryffindor. His name is James Potter."

The name lit inside Sev like a match, scraping and hissing into a flame. "Does he have dark hair and greenish eyes?" he asked.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

Memories of James tripping him in the hallways and spilling his carefully organized papers came flooding back. "No reason. I've just seen him around, that's all."

"Well James is a toerag a lot of the time. He and his little group like to pick on the Slytherins. And he likes to talk to me a lot, though it usually ends in an argument."

"That's not good."

"One time he nearly persuaded me to kiss him," Lily grimaced. "And on Valentine's Day as well! He said, 'Have you ever been kissed, Lily Evans? Well it's about time you were.' And I said, 'I'll decide when I want to be kissed, thank you very much!'"

Severus beamed. Little headstrong Lily. That's who she was.

"Have you ever kissed anyone, Severus?"

Sev faltered. "No."

Shyness, for once, took over Lily's actions, and she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing slightly. "Would you like…to try it? I've really wanted to see how kissing feels."

"Oh…well…sure, Lily," Sev murmured. Butterflies nipped at the edges of his stomach. With all his heart he wanted to agree so eagerly, but he was afraid he would lose her.

"Good."

At this one word, Lily's eyes snapped up and met Severus's, deep warm emerald captivating his soul. Without another word, they slowly leaned toward each other, never leaving each other's gaze. Finally, when Lily's freckled nose brushed against Sev's, their eyes closed and their lips met.

It was chaste, it was surface, it was _pure_. The first kiss of Severus's life was wholesome and sweet, and tasted of innocence. Lily took his hand while they kissed, and both of them felt the world dissolve. Just lips layered like fall leaves were all that was left, a contact of human warmth.

After what seemed like a blissful eternity, Lily pulled away slowly and smiled at Sev. "Kissing is stellar!" she squeaked, voice cracking from the straining of her mouth, on the aftereffects of a first kiss. Lily stood and grinned down at him. "What did you think?"

"It is pretty…interesting," Sev looked up, a smile cracking onto his face. His heart throbbed with pleasure.

"Well you're my best friend, Sev. I know I can trust you with stuff like that." She pulled a doll from the folds of her pretty summer dress and gave it's ebony hair a loving stroke before placing it on a shelf inside of the hollow willow tree.

Sev's attention was rapt on the doll. It had hair as ink-black as his, pretty features, and the most beautiful green eyes.

"What is her name?" Sev asked, motioning towards the sweet little doll.

"Oh. I play with her a lot more than any of my other dolls. She told me she wanted to stay in the tree for a little while." Lily sat down cross-legged in front of Sev. "Her name is Ivy."

_Ivy_. The word held enchantment for Severus.

"I have an idea for what we should name this island," he announced.

"You do? Oh, tell me!"

"Let's call it Ivy Island."

A smile lit up Lily's features. "Perfect! I therefore declare this place Ivy Island, sacred ground only for Island members – you and me, I mean."

"_Perfect_," Sev beamed.

For some time they played beneath the willow, acting as knights and adventurers and kings and queens until Lily's dad called for them. Then they shed their wondrous skins, becoming just Lily and Sev again, and dashed off for a picnic finished with Eileen's delicious Bakewell tarts.

The day ended peacefully, the light of the setting sun bleeding through the clouds, making them a bittersweet deep purple highlighted with pinks and golds.

The last rays of the setting sun fell into the emerald-green eyes of Ivy as she sat on her shelf in the willow, silently staring out across the lake from her island, forever seeped in an exquisite memory.


End file.
